Description

This is a place for those who still love to have a book in their hands to share and discuss books, reviews, and ideas. The blog is dedicated to Mum who wrote four books and more than fifty stories and other Authors. Mum passed away at 93 without seeking publication. Her books and stories range from Murder/mystery, Suspense and Romance. Her first book was published March 2008 called "Ladies of Class" a Detective, Murder Mystery story. Enjoy fellow readers!

Ladies of Class by Marjorie Owen

The fact that Laura Clayton is about to die comes as no surprise - in
fact we are told that it will happen right from the beginning of LADIES
OF CLASS. The reason for her death however is not clear. Laura has lived
in the English village of Burshill for thirty years. Widowed for five
years, she is a pillar of the community, highly regarded by the vicar
and his wife, and an old friend of the Chief Constable. She shouldn't
have had an enemy in the world, but her death proves that she did. When
two more women die, both of whom knew Laura, then the police need to
look for more links.

Newly promoted Detective Chief Inspector
Richard Hayward broke his leg, not in the course of his duties, but by
slipping on a patch of ice. So his mother Ella is helping him move into
his new house at Burshill. The Chief Constable requests that Richard
make an early return to work to take on the Laura Clayton case.
Richard's New Zealand born wife Kate has gone home to visit her sick
father and Ella becomes his sounding board in an increasingly complex
and tricky case.

LADIES OF CLASS is written very much in the
style of the village cosy, with many of the hallmarks of Golden Age
writing. Despite the fact that three deaths occur in quick succession,
they are presented in that peculiarly flat, almost bloodless, style
characteristic of the period. Dialogue dominates the structure of the
novel, and the author tends to underline the importance of certain
events and statements, presumably to ensure that we don't miss their
significance.

For me there were things that didn't quite work
given the period of the setting, which I thought was the late 1960s.
Long distance telephone calls have to be booked, in keeping with the
times, while long distance aeroplane journeys seem to be accomplished in
very short time. The author's attempt to render cockney speech verbatim
was just a little irritating too, but she attempted it, thankfully,
with just one character.

Despite these minor annoyances, the plot
is well woven, the characters carefully drawn, and there was just
enough to trouble "the little grey cells." There are plenty of readers
who will find this a satisfying read. [...]

An Empty Sky by Marjorie Owen

A story of love and love lost extending
back in time to World War 11. A picture discovered forms many images
and memories that cause pain and joy to several people. One of them may
have psychic inclinations towards the picture. ‘A picture is worth a
thousand words.’Money is no object. She can have anything she wants. But when it comes
to one picture in particular, her husband forbids her to buy it. Why
does he hate the picture? Her love for someone else during the days of
World War 11 are somehow coming back to haunt them both. Is she psychic
and does not know it? A friend steps in to help solve the mystery of
the picture and maybe her marriage.

Happily Ever After by Marjorie Owen

A woman left on her own in mid life has to
make some life changing decisions. As a wife and mother with no career,
there seems no answer to her crisis. This is a story about family
dynamics and romance. When her husband died so suddenly, leaving his affairs in such a muddle,
and it dawned on everybody there was absolutely nothing left, what
alternative was there but to accept her son’s invitation to make her
home with him? A woman in her forties with no skills, no training, and
no experience, there seemed no other way out.What choices does she have?